CEO's update
As we prepare to build AuScope’s ‘downward-looking telescope’ we reflect on the 50th anniversary of humans landing on the moon, the day before I was born. If you are in Canberra during July, be sure to take the Moon Rock Trail. Video: NASA.
Every quarter when I sit down to write this update, I think I start by saying ‘well it has been a busy 3 months’. This quarter I think it is fair to say that it has been that on steroids!
Sitting at the top of the list is the AuScope investment planning process that many of you have been involved in. This has been a fantastic journey to go on with the geoscience community and I thank those who have participated again. We have been able to include a number of people who are new to the AuScope community and everyone involved has developed some amazing and novel ideas that will certainly strengthen the proposals that we are developing.
After completing workshops in Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne, and establishing three working groups to further develop rationales and proposal ideas, we are planning to have a draft strategic plan and investment plan complete by the end of 2019.
If you want to be involved in this process but have not attended these workshops, please register your interest.
We have also had the opportunity to be involved in the development of a new international network of Solid Earth Research Infrastructures. AuScope and the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) have been driving this activity which now also includes IRIS, ENVRI, Earth Cube, ESIP and others. Stay tuned here for more details and the new acronym!
Finally, we are excited to start discussions on developing co-located infrastructure deployments with our NCRIS partners at TERN. The increasing recognition of the importance of Critical Zone Science, and the opportunities to create a Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) network in Australia, similar to the NSF funded network in the USA, has led to the development of a white paper to underpin this new collaboration. Now we look forward to creating Australia’s first CZO strategy.
I have no doubt that as we develop these initiatives and continue to support awesome research in the geosciences over the next quarter, I will probably be telling you that it was even busier than this one. Until then, thanks for reading.
Cheers, Tim
IDEAS?
If you would like to discuss opportunities for collaboration with AuScope, please get in touch with Tim Rawling.